“Only disciples who pass the strength assessment are eligible to proceed to the next, even more brutal, graduation examination.”

“Once you pass the graduation exam, the academy will recommend you to the Wu Kingdom’s court, where you’ll be highly valued by the authorities. In the future, rising to fame and fortune, becoming a general or a prime minister, and making your name known far and wide will be within your grasp! You should know, more than half of the Wu Kingdom’s top ministers and generals all come from our Beilu Academy!”

“Today, let’s see the results of your half-year of cultivation! The strength assessment begins—who will go first?!”

Caleb Thompson finished speaking and shouted.

“Disciple Henry Grant, willing to give it a try!”

Henry Grant stood at the very front of the group, stepped forward, and said coldly. He was currently recognized as the strongest martial artist in the upper division of Beilu Academy. Naturally, he was the first to step up for the strength assessment, and no one contested him.

……

Beilu Academy.

The academy’s Dean Taylor personally accompanied a young man in white, walking along the stone path toward the martial training grounds.

Behind the two of them followed more than a dozen high-ranking academy officials, such as the head instructor of the lower division, Gavin Stone, and others. Judging by their expressions and words, they were quite eager to please the young man.

“Dean Taylor, your academy’s environment is quite tranquil!”

The young man said.

“Mr. Jennings is absolutely right. The academy is backed by the Beilu Mountains, surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers, making it a peaceful place—very suitable for martial cultivation.”

Dean Taylor replied with a smile.

“Your academy is tucked away in a remote corner at the rear of the Wu Kingdom, far from the flames of war, so things are rather relaxed for you. But the Wu Kingdom is already on the brink of crisis, with several neighboring countries constantly encroaching on its territory. In recent years, the Wu Kingdom’s army has been at war year after year, and many mid-level officers have died or been lost, creating an urgent need for a new batch of mid-level commanders and national-level martial artists to stabilize the kingdom’s borders. The burden on your shoulders, Dean Taylor, is not light.”

The young man remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Well… what Mr. Jennings says is true. Our Beilu Academy will, without question, do everything in our power to cultivate outstanding disciples.”

Dean Taylor was sweating slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed, but did not refute him.

As the head of Beilu Academy and a ninth-level Body Refinement martial artist, his status in the Wu Kingdom was extremely high. Many of the kingdom’s generals came from the academy. Even high-ranking court officials would address him as their teacher!

But in front of this young man, he didn’t dare show any temper.

James Jennings, the most prominent martial prodigy in the Wu Kingdom’s royal city, was later accepted as a personal disciple by the kingdom’s current Grand Preceptor, Edward Jennings.

The current Grand Preceptor, Edward Jennings, was a true cultivator from a great sect of the Immortal Gate, holding a status so exalted that even the Wu Kingdom’s monarch had to pay him a respectful visit in person.

James Jennings was Edward Jennings’s personal disciple, and there were rumors that the two were related by blood.

With James Jennings’s status, he might soon become a cultivator himself, and his future position would far surpass that of Dean Taylor, so he showed no deference to Dean Taylor at all.

The dozen or so high-ranking academy officials following behind the two, faced with James Jennings’s blatant mockery, exchanged glances but didn’t dare utter a single word.

“Mr. Jennings, as far as I know, the Wu royal family, the Wu clan, is descended from an immortal elder of the Golden Cauldron Sect, one of the nine great immortal sects of Yunzhou. With the support of the Golden Cauldron Sect, the Wu clan’s royal status should be unshakable, right?”

Dean Taylor thought for a moment and asked cautiously. As a secular martial artist, it was difficult for him to learn about the affairs of the immortal sects. Only someone like James Jennings, a personal disciple of the Grand Preceptor, might have access to such detailed information.

“Of course the Golden Cauldron Sect won’t stand by idly. The Immortal Gate sent my master, Edward Jennings, to oversee the Wu Kingdom’s royal city precisely to prevent harm from befalling the Wu clan. But as cultivators, we cannot interfere in the wars of secular nations at will, or it would spark conflict among the immortal sects. The battles on the field must still be fought by you secular martial generals. In the past, a senior of the Golden Cauldron Sect founded Beilu Academy precisely to cultivate more outstanding martial artists for the Wu Kingdom!”

The young man said with some pride.

“Of course!”

Dean Taylor replied with a smile, though in his heart he couldn’t help but grumble—clearly still just a Body Refinement martial artist, yet already considering himself a cultivator.

Dean Taylor accompanied James Jennings, chatting idly as they made their way to the academy’s martial training grounds.

At this moment, the chief instructor Caleb Thompson was conducting strength assessments for the upper division students.

Dean Taylor and his group stood to the side of the training ground, watching.

The academy’s students, seeing the rarely-seen Dean Taylor accompanying a young man to observe, were a bit curious, and many looked over.

“My master sent me to Beilu Academy this time to see how the academy is cultivating its disciples. Among this batch of students, are there any with particularly outstanding talent, worthy of important positions?”

The young man asked.

“Of course there are!”

Dean Taylor finally had something to be proud of and began introducing the academy’s outstanding disciples. “This year, several of our students are truly exceptional—Henry Grant, Ethan Marshall, and Emily Wade are all at the sixth level of Body Refinement, with extremely refined martial skills. These three all come from the five great noble families and ten major clans of the Wu Kingdom, and each has great potential to become a national-level martial artist in the future.”

Dean Taylor emphasized.

“Oh, is that so? Let’s see for ourselves.”

The young man smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Chief Instructor Thompson!”

Dean Taylor called out softly to Caleb Thompson, signaling him.